GW student, cooking on a GWorld budget. "We all eat, and it would be a sad waste of opportunity to eat badly" ~ Anna Thomas

April 6, 2015

Fajitas Friday

Friday nights are girls night in, and good food is a must every week. We try to spice it up, but we’re all such suckers for avocado that Mexican fare appears more often than not on our Friday night table. This Friday we mixed it up as much as we ever do, and decided that fajitas were the move, and as I live in a room full of veg-heads, we opted for some veggie fajitas. Dinner conversation turned to how trite a mexican night was–it seemed that each one of our families had developed some kind of meal routine that included a relatively regular schedule. While one of our family’s regularly had taco tuesdays, another was accustomed to eating mac and cheese every friday while her parents had their date night. My family always had eggs and bacon on Sunday morning before church. It’s interesting to think about how and why we fall so easily into these eating patterns, and how strongly they affect what foods we buy and consume. Maybe it’s because routines make things easier, and give us one less thing to think about? Or maybe it’s because we love tacos so much that we wish we could eat them every day, but for our body’s sake we have to limit it to once a week. Unsure. Whatever the reason, it has been interesting to see how these routines have changed since entering into college. As much as I love a good dinner in to celebrate the end of the week, I’m hoping that the routine will end there–a goal is to mix it up with what we cook. Like I’ve said before, I’m hoping to learn how to cook some new foods.

This week though, we went with a tried and true favorite that we already knew how to make. I love veggie fajitas because they are so colorful, which is one way of ensuring that your plate is healthy. (Right?) I also love them because they are easy! Here’s what we did (using only one pan!):

Veggie Fajitas

Serves 4

1 14 oz. can black beans

1 red bell pepper

1/2 white or red onion, diced

1 zucchini

1 cup Mexican blend cheese

1 package of 8 whole wheat tortillas

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Drain black beans and mash them slightly in skillet. Add 1/4 cup water, garlic, cayenne pepper and paprika and stir. Warm the beans over medium heat until mixture becomes thick. In the meantime, chop vegetables to bite-sized pieces. When beans have thickened, place aside. Rinse skillet and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sauté vegetables, stirring until tender. Wrap tortillas in foil and preheat oven to 350º. Place tortillas in oven for 5-10 minutes to warm them. Fill each tortilla with beans and vegetables, and garnish with avocado slices and cheese. ¡Buen provecho!